Residents in parts of Duk County in Jonglei State have complained of shortages of basic goods as floods cut off the area from the rest of the state.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj Tuesday, several residents said basic commodities ran out of stock since last year and they have been relying on wild leaves and relief food aid.
“Since August, no basic commodities have been coming to Duk. We are cut off from the rest of the state and Juba. There is no sugar, salt, or even flour. We have nothing to buy with money and we rely on wild fruits called Lalob,” Mary Chol, a resident of Duk Padiet town said.
Another resident, Elizabeth Adum Wai, said, “Our life is not good and we are suffering. Even if one has money, there is nothing to buy in the market. And as you know crops failed last year due to the floods. ”
The residents called on the business community to avail the goods in the county.
Makuac Nyok, a trader in Duk, said his grocery shop ran out of commodities in July last year due to the floods.
“The last time I stocked my shop with goods like flour, sugar, and biscuits was in June last year. Now the shop is empty and I changed it into a kiosk for charging mobile phones because we have been bringing goods from Juba using airplanes but it is very costly. To give an example, a sack of sugar in Juba is 20,000 SSP, transporting it to Duk is 45,000 SSP. So, there is a big loss even if we are to sell a kilo at over 1,000 SSP,” he said.
The businessman urged the national government to intervene by constructing a permanent road to link the county to the state capital, Bor so that goods are easily transported.
For his part, Elijah Manyok Ayiei, the Duk Padiet Payam administrator, decried the suffering of the civil population and urged the national government and aid agencies in the country to intervene.
“There are no goods in the markets because we are cut off. People only rely on wild fruits and relief food, but now the relief foods are no more. So, we need help,” he said.